Let's Play a Game
by Scarletsouls
Summary: Bill Cipher decides he's tired of waiting for the inevitable collapse of the Pines Family. Dipper Pines is the perfect pawn in this game of bloodshed. Oneshot. Warnings for blood, minor injuries, and drowning.


**A/N:**

 **Warnings: Blood; injuries; drowning.**

 **You can also find this fanfiction on my Tumblr [scarletsoulss] or on Archive of Our Own [ScarletSouls]**

 **/**

The monsters of Gravity Falls are tricky; some are mostly human and some are inherently insane.

Swinging forward a metal baseball bat, covered in grime and gore, Dipper Pines couldn't help but wonder why most happened to be the latter. The edge of his weapon clipped the head of yet another zombie and green gore spattered across the theatre stage. He brought a hand back to wipe blood from his forehead, keeping an eye on a particularly quick opponent to his right. The zombie's hand grabbed at his shoulder, tearing through the cloth of his vest. With an exaggerated spin, he pivoted on his heel, the bat catching the zombie's ribs and launching it into one of the front row seats.

Dipper hoisted the bat back up and over his shoulder, watching as numerous zombies crawled into the building through the doors, vents, and gaping holes in the roof. They ambled his way with yellow eyes gleaming. A hefty swing from his bat severed a few heads and their respective bodies scrambled after them ferociously. One of the zombies he had failed to drive away slashed at his chest with broken claws. A raging pain nearly drove him to tears as he knocked the zombie away with a partial swing.

His free hand grasped at his shirt. Though it was most likely a shallow wound, blood still seeped into his shirt, staining his hand crimson. Watching as the red dripped down into a puddle of green sludge at his feet, Dipper stared ahead at the ever-growing crowd of zombies clambering up onto the stage. He grasped the bat with both hands, trying to ignore the bolt of pain that shot through his chest. Zombies from all angles attempted to seize him with disfigured arms.

A rush of heat consumed the building, blue fire leaping up from the floorboards. Zombies screeched as the fire reached them, their eyes turned to liquid in their skulls and they fell into the blue. Despite the flames threatening to swallow him, there was a harsh coldness below his ribs. He backed up hastily, not stopping until his back hit the wall.

Before his eyes, ashes spiraled up from the fire, gathering together to form a familiar shape. The black triangle blazed within another surge of blue fire before the flames disappeared altogether.

"How's _this_ for a dramatic entrance?"

His one eye joyously gleaming down at Dipper, the demon that had appeared spread out thin black arms. "Remember me kid?" the demon said, his voice as eccentric and aggravating as ever. Breaking out into uncontrollable laughter, he floated down on a whim, hovering just out of Dipper's reach. "Who am I kidding? Of course you do!"

"B-Bill!" Dipper stuffed his trembling hands deep into his pockets, although he was positive the dream demon had already seen them. "What are you doing here?"

The yellow demon laughed as he stretched out a hand to tap Dipper's hat. "You're dreaming Pine Tree! I can come and go as I please."

"I… I'm dreaming?"

"That's correct! Which means that this…" Bill pointed to the bloody hole in his shirt. "Is just an illusion!" He snapped his fingers and a blue flame ignited the wound.

Frozen in terror, Dipper stared at the fire with blurry vision. His hands flew up to his chest and clawed frantically at the flames. Just as soon as it had appeared, the fire turned to smoke and disappeared; along with the bloody wound in his chest. He glared up at Bill, a hand hovering over the remaining tear in his shirt. "Why can't you just leave me alone? You already stole my body. What's next? Tearing out my heart? Throwing me into a- a fiery inferno?"

"Hold up kid! I didn't _steal_ your body. I just _bargained_ for it."

"You lied to me! You told me you were going to give me the password to the laptop!"

Bill laughed. "I guaranteed you answers! Secrets of the universe! If I gave them all to you at once you'd die on the spot. As amusing as that'd be, I'd rather keep you alive!"

"Seriously? You expect me to believe that?"

"If I hadn't destroyed that laptop, how else would you have associated it with Fiddleford?"

Pressing his hand again his temple, Dipper grimaced. "I don't want to have to think about this right now. Why are you even here?"

"Well kid, I'm glad you asked! As you know, I've been keeping an **_eye_** -" the demon's eye flared blue at the word before he continued, "-on you, and I'm curious."

"Curious?" Dipper raised his eyebrows and peered up at Bill. "What could you possibly be curious about?'

"Stanley lying to you. Your own sister trusting a conman over the fate of the world. Stanford, keeping secrets that could mean the difference between life and death." Bill glanced down at the surface of his body, watching as each wrong was displayed clearly beneath his bowtie. "Aren't you the least bit upset?"

Dipper averted his eyes from the demon, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. "Why should I be? They're family aren't they?"

" _Family_ didn't keep the Stans close did it? Seems to me you're furious!"

"Hardly." Turning his body away from the other, Dipper started walking off. "I don't have time for this Bill."

As he took another step, the ground beneath his feet vanished and he fell into complete darkness. Breath catching in his throat, he spun around to stare at Bill with cold eyes. Heat ran through his body as he fell, his surroundings much too similar to the Bottomless Pit. "Leave me alone."

"I just want to talk kid!" Bill had remained floating not far off, adjusting his bowtie with false concentration.

"Yeah right! Remember how that turned out last time?"

Dipper shut his eyes, seeing if he could envision a way out of the darkness. But even when he tried to wake up, nothing happened. He frantically attempted to recall weapons that had worked against the demon, yet none appeared in his hands.

"That's not going to work. This isn't the mindscape!"

The sudden voice having shattered his focus, Dipper looked up at the triangle with wide eyes. "This isn't the mindscape? What do you mean?"

Eye gleaming, Bill laughed a bit too loudly. "Why else do you think you can still see color? This is the _dreamscape_ Pine Tree. Don't bother trying to leave because I've got complete control over it. Watch this!"

The dream demon raised his arms at his sides, his cat-like pupil shrinking into a small circle as he stared ahead into empty space. A blue flame swarmed his hands, sparks flying across the blackness in unrealistic leaps.

Dipper's feet hit the ground, as did the rest of his body. He propped himself up on his elbows so that he stared up at the interior of the Mystery Shack. It looked just as it always had, except for the startling red that oozed out from behind the vending machine. Black spiraled throughout the blood like poison.

A moment later, his eyes landed upon himself. No, it was the shapeshifter, it's form still a mirror image of his own body. He was back in the author's hideout, an eerie green reflecting off of the frozen monster that he faced. A jagged line spread across the shapeshifter's eye with a horrendous crack.

Wind whistled in his ears as he found himself falling once again, this time hurling towards the vast landscape that was Gravity Falls. He grabbed his hat, most likely out of habit, and clutched it to his chest. Bill remained hovering in front of him, not at all affected by the changes in setting.

His eyes stung and pain wrecked his chest as liquid rushed into his throat and lungs. Coughing only increased the pressure that enveloped his body and his chest burned. His head tilted back and he shut his eyes to the water that rushed over his face.

Quicker than before, the pressure vanished and water rushed from his mouth and lungs, splattering a mixture of bile and lake water on the cement. Kneeling on the floor, Dipper stared up at the mostly dismantled portal that stood in front of him.

The speed at which the background changed increasing, he found it impossible to keep up with it all. The forest. The arcade. Places he'd never seen. Those he wished he hadn't.

"Bi-" A rush of smoke hit him, keeping him from speaking. He shut his eyes tight and lifted the top of his shirt up and over his nose. " _Stop it!_ "

Silence. Cool air hitting his face. All of the pain and pressure had vanished.

Slowly, Dipper lifted his head and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He was sitting on the edge of a bridge, the same bridge that looked out over Gravity Falls from where it stretched between the two abnormal cliffs. Clouds glowed with the red and violet cast off of a fiery sunset. Pinpricks of light dotted the town beneath him.

Still floating in front of him, Bill twirled a cane in his hand that definitely hadn't been there before. "Yeesh! Relax!" He peered down at Dipper and swung out his cane so that it grazed the brim of his hat. "Now, hows about you get talking?"

"Fine!" Dipper flinched away from the demon, yanking his hat up and back onto his head. "What do you want me to say anyways?"

"A lots happened recently hasn't it? The people you care about have been lying and keeping secrets from you. Yet you don't seem upset."

"Of course I'm upset!" Dipper snapped. "My sister betrayed me! For all I know, she was never on my side in the first place."

"Hm, and what about those uncles of yours?"

"Why are you asking me this? Aren't you all-knowing or something?"

Bill laughed. "Sure I am kid! But I want to see what you know. Everyone's been keeping secrets lately."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you really know anything? About the author? About this town?"

Dipper froze. Did he? Everything he knew, he learned from the journals. What was that worth when he didn't even know who the author really was? He stared back at Bill, his stomach hardening as he realized that he was running out of excuses. "Why should I trust you?"

For a second, it was as if Bill was grinning; grinning with a mouth he didn't even have. "You have potential! Your affinity for the supernatural is a rare talent and I'd hate to see it go to waste!"

"Potential? Potential for what?"

"Well, I've been looking for an ally. Stanford and Gideon were good candidates but they weren't _great_." Bill let go of his cane, leaving it to float next to him. "Then there's you. You've been proving yourself ever since you first arrived in Gravity Falls!"

Frowning, Dipper looked down at his feet, watching as they swung them back and forth over the town. "You say that you're looking for an ally." He hesitated, shooting a brief glance towards Bill before looking away. "Why me?"

"Hold out a hand will you?"

"Uh…" Dipper blinked at him.

"Yeesh kid, it's no big deal!"

Unclenching his fists, Dipper held out a hand, all the while watching Bill cautiously. "What now?"

"Even humans have magic running through their bodies. When I possessed you, I sensed an unusually large amount originating around that dumb birthmark of yours. Try to find it."

Dipper shut his eyes. "You know that isn't very helpful right?"

"Your point being?"

"Whatever." Dipper shook his head, attempting to block out Bill's obnoxiously loud presence. When he had managed that, he concentrated on the area around his forehead. Not even a minute went by before he felt a slight twinge. Focusing on the feeling, he could sense the odd fiery power flowing throughout his body. His eyes shot open and he stared at Bill, the edges of his mouth twitching.

"You see?" Bill said, satisfaction coating his words. "Now, latch on to that power and trap it in your hand."

Shutting his eyes again, Dipper centered in on the feeling in his forehead. Once he was sure of himself, he began pulling it to his hand. It took him three tries before he was able to get it there. Magic surged through his fingertips and heat swarmed his hand. Opening his eyes, Dipper's breath hitched when he saw the blue fire consuming his palm.

The fire flickered at his hesitation, and he took a deep breath in an attempt to retain it. It wasn't burning him, as a matter of fact, the heat was so intense that it was quite cold at it's center. When he took the chance to observe it, he realized that the flames weren't quite as blue as Bill's. They gleamed with a wide array of shades, before settling on a deep blue that seemed to match the color of his hat.

Bill watched the fire blaze and then die, as Dipper dropped his hand. "There ya go kid! It took Stanford months to figure that one out." He drifted around Dipper, laughing as he went. "As allies, we could release the deepest secrets of this town! We could take revenge on those who wrong us! You're part of something greater Pine Tree, just let me help you!"

Going rigid, Dipper stared at Bill, his mouth hanging open slightly. His hand twitched and he looked away.

"Don't sweat it! You should wake up soon anyways!" Bill grabbed his cane and spread his arms out. "I'll be back kid! Consider my offer, big things are coming! You can be a part of it!"

His one eye gleaming joyously down, Bill snapped his fingers and disappeared into the fading light.

Dipper waited. As the purple sky deepened in color, he looked back down as his palm. Lifting up a hand, he let blue fire run across his fingertips. It grew larger, devouring his hand and wrist, reflecting itself in the eyes that fixed themselves on it so desperately.

"Alright."

The people of Gravity Falls are tricky; some are mostly human and some are inherently insane.

 **\\\\\**

 **A/N:**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **|ScarletSouls**


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